Submit your Music Tour Support Application to Concerts SA today

Planning a music tour and require support? Apply to Concerts SA’s Music Mobility Fund, which will select new projects in September.

Following the success of the ten previous rounds, applications are now open for the second iteration of Music Mobility Fund disbursements this year. The deadline for submissions is midnight Sunday 16 September, and tours should take place between the end of October 2018 and the end of May 2019. This tour support mechanism offers opportunities for South Africa-based creatives to undertake live music tours in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The fund provides support to live music performances, collaborations and performance-based workshops. South Africa-based music professionals are eligible to apply for tour support, which includes a financial grant, technical assistance, and media backing. The financial grant covers up to 80% of eligible costs for travel, transport, accommodation, per diems, technical costs, artwork design & printing, visas and administrative costs (up to ZAR 30,000 for national tours, and up to ZAR 45,000 for SADC regional tours). Assessment criteria are based on the feasibility of the tour plan, the track record of the artist applying, and the quality of their music. Since being initiated in 2013 by The SAMROFoundation and The British Council‘s Connect ZA, the Music Mobility Fund has received around a thousand applications and supported almost two hundred tours with artists and bands like Tu Nokwe, The Muffinz, Samthing Soweto, Msaki, or Femi Koya. More than 700 musicians have successfully toured across the 9 South African provinces as well as 10 other countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and Madagascar), playing more than 800 shows to over 50 000 people, spanning genres from jazz to indigenous music, from folk to hip-hop, from gqom to punk-rock.

Through the Mobility Fund, Concerts SA works as a full-on tour collaborator, acting as financial partner, technical advisor and media advocate. Supported tour leaders have stressed that having the support of the Mobility Fund has facilitated the development of their creative work while on tour. It has allowed their creative integrity and freedom to remain intact while reaching and gaining bigger (national and / or transnational) audiences, it has opened up doors for collaborations with artists and spaces, and it has created future booking opportunities. Among the projects that may be financed are tours and concerts, including regional, national or provincial tours, as well as performances at festivals and showcases. The Music Mobility Fund also funds artistic collaborations among musicians based in different provinces of South Africa or SADC countries. Each project must be between four days and three months in duration.

National Projects

Artists from all provinces are invited to apply for national projects taking place in any South African province(s). The bulk of the budget must be allocated to activities taking place outside the province where the artist is based. Applicants may request up to R30,000.

Regional Projects

Regional projects must take place in one or more of the following SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. While activities in South Africa may be included as part of regional projects, the bulk of the budget must be allocated to activities taking place outside f South Africa. Applicants will need to conduct their own research and have identified and communicated with a potential partner or host. The partner may be an individual or organisation and must be an established musician or music professional, and must be based in the SADC country (or countries) where the project will take place. Applicants may request up to R45,000.

Application process

After reading and understanding the Call for Proposals, applicants must complete the Online Application Form in English, and submit it by midnight Sunday 16th September 2018, including the following mandatory documents: legal documentation of the applicant (ID/passport copy for individuals and organisation representatives; company registration documents); track record (biography, EPK, CV, press coverage, web links, evidence of recognition awards, public appearances, etc.); budget of the project (including projected income and expenditure); and a calendar of activities with tour schedule. SADC regional projects must include a letter or email from the local host confirming their support and involvement. Applicants are encouraged to use the Concerts SA Venue Map and the Concerts SA Live Music Toolkit in the preparation of your tour. Enquiries should be submitted by email to concertssa@samro.org.za. For more information, navigate through our website, follow @ConcertsSA on Twitter or like Concerts SA on Facebook.